San Diego Eats

Edible City Celebration

2008-08-07T19:52:00.001-07:00

This upcoming week (and weekend) is the first annual Edible City Celebration hosted by Food Not Lawns of San Diego. There will be several workshops around the downtown San Diego area. Some of the workshops will be:

Food preservation through fermentation (Kim Chi, Sauerkraut)
Indian cooking
Bio-Intensive Gardening
Composting
Solar cooking potluck (people will be cooking in Balboa Park with solar ovens and sharing the food with people interested)
Food related movie nights

Most of the workshops are free. There's a few that ask for small donations. You can find out more info here:

http://www.sdfoodnotlawns.com/ecc2008/

I'm helping out with the promotion and can answer any questions you might have, so feel free to contact me with any questions.

Vision Cafe

2008-07-08T20:22:00.001-07:00

4596.5 30th St
San Diego, CA 92101
no phone or website available...too new

San Diego has a rich Ethiopian cultural presence but there's always room for more. Vision Cafe is the latest addition to the North Park contingent. This place has been a work in progress for a few months now. It has a few dishes listed on their modest whiteboard, but often you'll find that they are out of whatever you've come in for. Had a plate of beans, tomatoes, feta and red onions tonight for $6. It was very filling and spiced very well; simple and delicious. It came with some bread (not injera, just a small white boule, and a bit dry at that). It's still worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood and into Ethiopian cuisine. The bulk of their menu is dedicated to coffees. They have some pastries and meat sandwiches (thought nothing on the menu looked very ethnic by their simple descriptions like "Ham").

They have sambusas as well (another name for samosa): meat or lentil. These are a bit different than Indian Samosas with savory mix of spices. They also have shelves with spices and incense on them (though you can probably buy the same stuff at the Awash market for cheaper).

If you want a place that's a bit more established, check out Harar, Awash Market or (if in City Heights area) Red Sea.

Now...to fly off on a total tangent, I've recently been hearing/reading a lot of people calling Ethiopian food "Eritrean" cuisine. The two terms get thrown around like synonyms, so I decided to read up on it a bit. Apparently, Eritrea is its own country that was once colonized, independent, annexed by Ethiopia and then declared independence from Ethiopia. So, if I understand the wikipedia article correctly, the two countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea are distinct and there could potentially even be offense taken by confusing the two. Now, which restaurants are around town are Eritrean and which are Ethiopian is beyond me. I believe I did see one specifically labeling its cuisine as Eritrean (I think that was Asmara out in City Heights). Other than that, I don't know which belong to which countries. Please chime in if you know for sure which restaurants are which. I'm sure there's a lot of overlap in cuisine (for the same reasons England has a lot of curry dishes and Indians play a mean game of cricket) but it's good to know what you can find where and what the subtle differences may be between the two cuisines.

Middle Eastern food and art...the art was better

2008-04-29T16:06:00.001-07:00

Fairouz Restaurant & Gallery
3166 Midway Dr
Ste 102
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 225-0308

http://alnashashibi.com/

I often use yelp to find new places to try out. The reviews are usually pretty candid and accurate. I was on the hunt for more Mediterranean food and I was very stoked to read about a buffet place in a part of town that I still haven't explored nearly enough: Sports Arena/Midway. The place has been here forever (25 years) and I was a bit surprised to hear about it so late since it seems like something right up my alley. They're in a strip mall (like all good buffets) so they're easily missed.

The yelp community told me that the owner was exceptionally nice and the art on the walls was weird and cool...but the food was lacking. This synopsis was spot on. The buffet was $12/person and you could also order from the menu but, as is often the case in such places, the buffet seems like a much better value, as most of the dishes from the menu are between $9 and $16.

Upon entering, the art is striking. The place is jam-packed full of art and after a short while it becomes obvious that despite the variety in styles, every piece is painted by the same person. The host told me that his brother is the artist and apparently he's been painting for a long time as many of the pieces are dated from the 80s (and just as many are from last year). Some of the pieces are incredibly intricate. Some are realistic, others are abstract, and all of them are quite good.

But the art I'm interested in is on the end of my fork. The buffet has a ton of vegetarian options. There is a variety of hot vegetable dishes, cold salads and decent selection of deserts. My wife, her friend and I stuffed ourselves silly. Unfortunately, there were only a couple of dishes that were really, truly good. The rest of them were either a bit dry or flavorless or both. I think the buffet in general is too ambitious. They've tried to put out too many different dishes and in the process they sit out longer than they should and probably don't allow the chef to pay them their due attention. It also has the effect of forcing me to try everything on the buffet...which is dangerous. The cuisine was (from what I can tell) a mix of Lebanese, Greek and Persian. I think narrowing down the selections to about HALF their current number could drastically improve the quality and enjoyability of the selections.

The chef is the wife of the operation's host, so this is decidedly a family business and super authentic. The host was the most remarkable part of the evening. He was so amazingly friendly that I felt bad for not having discovered his place before. He will talk to you as much as you care to (the place wasn't very busy, but I get the feeling he'd go out of his way to make time to chat no matter how busy they get). He asked if everything was okay EVERY time we went to the buffet. I'm almost uncomfortable with this level of service because no one pays so much attention to the customers these days. It's sad that this exceptional service makes me feel awkward. It should be the standard of any sit-down restaurant.

I think I'd like to hit this place again for lunch to give them a fair chance to serve something fresh with a bit more care put into it. One unusual aspect of the buffet is that it seemed to have very little in common with the selections available via the menu. Not sure if this is a deliberate strategy or not, but I definitely want to see their take on spanikopita (on the menu, but not the buffet). Will report back when we're able to do that.

Vegetarian / Vegan Cooking Club

2007-12-10T11:32:00.001-08:00

For some time now, I've been trying to find a casual group of people that I can get together with and learn to cook. Of course, I have a basic need that other cooking groups may only partially fill: I want to cook and eat exclusively vegetarian food. I found a couple Yahoo groups with general San Diego Cooking themes...but they only had about 10-30 people in them and were decidedly defunct looking (no messages in the past couple months). So I decided to start my own group.

We met for the first time this past weekend and though there was only a couple people that attended, we were pretty enthused about the idea of a group that focused on vegetarian cooking. A couple of the people that showed up still "cheated" with meat now and then for different reasons, but they were about 90% vegetarian. I decided not to promote the group too much for fear of too many people coming, but that fear was apparently not very well founded ;^) Now that I have a clearer idea of how many people will come based on how many people SAID they would come (a percentage) I can know how many to invite to get the actual number I want (8-12).

I'll post a few flyers in strategic places (Rancho's, Whole Foods, etc.) and see if I can hit my magic number for the next meeting. Next meeting is slated for Saturday, January 12th @ 4pm at my place in North Park. If you're interested in attending, join the Yahoo group (I'll send out more info, address, etc. via that group): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sdveggiecooks

European Market and Deli

2007-11-26T13:48:00.001-08:00

4135 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92103

619-298-8661

Daily 10 am-5:30 pm

The wife and I were in the mood for something new this weekend but we didn't want to venture too far outside of North Park. We were going to drop by Henry's and pick up some stuff to make sandwiches. Right next to Henry's is this place that I've wanted to check out for some time now. They were small and quaint and I had a feeling they had some good imported cheese and possibly some bread. By the way, I'm still on my quest for bread. I've been to a number of places and found a few recommendations, but I have a few other bakeries I need to check out before writing my complete review. So be patient, it's coming...eventually.

Okay back to the deli. We walked in and it was about as small as it looked from the outside. There's about 5 tables (seating for about 16) inside and a patio with another couple tables. The walls are lined with imported goods (pastas, oils, sauces, etc.) and about half of them are predominantly covered with Greek lettering. Very many of them have no English written on them at all. That's a good sign. To date, I had been going down to Little Italy to get imported goods from the Mona Lisa restaurant. But there's no quick way to get down to Little Italy from North Park and I'm walking more these days, so finding a closer imports place is a huge benefit to me.

As soon as we walked in, a large lady with a thick Greek accent greeted us. I knew we were in the right place. The display case at the front counter had spanikopita, two types of Feta (a French and a Greek...I'd never heard of French feta before) as well as some enormous beans (thought they were Fava since they were so large, but they're a form of mild butter bean). In another case there were trays full of bakalava and other assorted pastries. The first thing I was afraid of was that we would be breaking the bank on what I wanted to be a light lunch. It wasn't obvious where the menus were, but there were two people cooking. We found the menus and were shocked to see that the prices were so reasonable. We got a vegetarian sampler plate for $6 and a veggie pita for $5. That would be pretty good if the serving size were the same as most places, but the sampler plate ended up being about twice as much food as other places' samplers. There was a generous serving of hummus, these giants butter beans, tziziki sauce, a piece of spanikopita, two domales (stuffed grape leaves) and pita. There was too much hummus and not enough pita, but the whole plate was about a pound of food.

The wife didn't like the hummus, but I did. It's a light fluffy bean whip...whereas many places spike it with a lot of garlic and lemon and many leave it a bit chunky. This one was silky smooth and just light and airy. So if you've had a bad experience with hummus in the past, this would be a great place to give it a second shot. The flavor is mild and there's no beanie (or tahini) aftertaste. The spanikopita was about perfect (they charge $1.50 per piece at the case and it's a decent size). Kyla (the wife...have I formally introduced her?) was particularly in love with the tziziki sauce. It was much richer and creamier than any we've had before.

My pita wrap was also quite good and pretty much what you'd find at any Greek cafe: tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and lettuce...but there were two things that made it above average they put a spicy feta mix on top (they call it Feta Diablou) and I'm pretty sure the vinaigrette Was made in house. The second (okay third...who's counting?) thing that made it great was the pita. I'm pretty sure they make their own pita on site. It was very fresh and there was still flour on the outside of it that you could feel on your hands. They have piles of pita bread stacked up at the front of the display case and it's better than any other store-bought pita I've had before, so if you're planning a Greek night and don't want the hassle of making your own pita (it's a good deal of work) this is the only substitute I've found worth buying.

There's also lamb and many other traditional meat dishes. But I was pleased to find a few choices for vegetarian on their very very small menu. They also cater (I think that's where they do most of their business) and their menu mentions you can go "off menu" when making a catering order. I wonder if I can convince my employer to hook that up...probably not...

The service was also top notch. The place is family owned and operated and you know it as soon as you step in the door as you're greeted warmly. The lady there might as well be the Greek mother you never had but always wanted (why can't I be from an ethnic family dammit?).

Yves - Chicken and Beef Skewers

2007-11-26T13:26:00.001-08:00

This is a quick review of a newish product offered by Yves (I think it's pronounced like EE-veez). You may be familiar with the Yves brand for their mock meats in the deli section (refrigerator case, NOT freezer case like most mock meats). They have a nice variety of cold cuts (ham, bologna, turkey, salami, pepperoni) as well as some other items (on their website but that I have yet to find in stores). But their latest creation are called skewers. They're kabobs, really: pre-seasoned, lumpy (in a good way) and hearty.

So far, I've only found the skewers at Whole Foods. They were on sale until this weekend but they're still pretty affordable at $3.79. Now you only get two skewers per package, but these things are hearty and flavorful. What you'll want to do is stretch them a bit by throwing them in a nice pita (you can get some great pita at the European Market and Deli) and maybe throw some tziziki sauce on there too. The chciken comes flavored in a lemon pepper sauce (no messy sauce in the package, it's just baked right in there) and the beef is in a pretty normal BBQ flavor (again, no sauce. if you want sauce, get those GardenBurger ribs).

Preparation could be any kind of grill really. The wife put these on the Foreman Grill (our favorite household appliance) and they work out really well. They have a very strong flavor to them so no additional flavor is needed. You could put some fresh cracked pepper on them if you really wanted to. One of these will fill up a hungry person. They're a continuous stick of mock meat, so after grilling, you may want to pull it off the skewer and break it into chunks, if you're going to serve it with something. It pulls apart beautifully, and that's why I mostly recommend these items. The texture is better than any other mock meat I've had (and I've had a lot). I like the Quorn brand specifically for their texture and they use egg and mushroom components to get that texture just right, but their flavor is often a bit off. These excel in flavor and texture. If I can complain about anything, I think it's that they overdid it on the spices. It's just a little too concentrated and doesn't allow the room for people to add any of their own flavor to the meat. The trade off, of course, is that they're super easy to prepare. They're not froxen, just refrigerated, so that means you have the option to take them off the skewers, break them up into chunks (something I think they should do for you) and insert onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc. between the pieces.

For more info (and some recipes) check out the Yves site.

NOTE TO VEGANS the chicken skewers contain egg components and both packages mention that they are produced in a facility that uses eggs, so the chicken will probably be out for you. Depending on how strict you are in your diet, the beef may also be a little too likely to have trace eggs amounts in them.

Crispy Fried Chicken

2007-11-06T16:07:00.001-08:00

Crispy Fried Chicken
4919 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 582-3938

As previously mentioned, a friend of mine had mentioned this place to me. What's the point of Crispy Fried Chicken for a vegetarian? The sides of course! I grew up in Richmond, Virginia which isn't geographically very southern, but culturally it's entrenched. My family often went down to North Carolina to visit friends and I have distinct memories of the BBQ there. I should mention that I'm a vegetarian for ethical and land usage reasons, not because I think "meat is icky." On the contrary, I think meat can be really tasty, but I choose to abstain for the same reason we humans abstain from going around shooting people in the face. No matter how much fun it is, it's just wrong.

Okay, enough soapboxing, time for the food. Kyla (the wife) and I definitely miss fried chicken and we lamented a bit about that while taking in the scents of the shop.

My friend had described this place as uber sketchy, but I want to tell you that it's not so bad. It's deep in the City Heights area and for some people that gives them the heebie jeebies, but I actually used to live in the area and it doesn't scare me much. The area of El Cajon Blvd. is dominated by Asian cuisine (predominantly Vietnamese, I think) and neon. Crispy Fried Chicken sticks out culturally and building-wise. It's a very well-lit (important for the area), non-descript place with lots of glass on the front. No bars or otherwise "paranoid" looking security measures. My friend mentioned that he saw someone sleeping in there once, and I was expecting it to be grubby and busy, but it was quite clean and very NOT busy. There were about 4 people that came in and out while we were waiting for our food. Upon entering, we were a bit surprised to find that the proprietors were actually Asian. Their English isn't amazing, but communication wasn't too hard. But honestly...this is Black food and 95% of the clientèle is Black... so where are the Black cooks? We have a strong Ethiopian contingent in San Diego, but beyond that, it's as if Black culture is wholly absent here and that makes me sad.

If you know of any other Black cuisine (Cajun or otherwise) actually MADE by African Americans please loop me in.

For the record, I will generally use the term "Black" rather than "African American." I'm sorry if that offends anyone but "African American" just feels too stuffy and artificially politically correct. I'm a "White" guy (I've never referred to myself as an "Anglo-American"). For some reason it's impossible to say there is a White culture...but there certainly is a "Black" culture. We White people are dry, boring and only have culture when broken down into historical, ethnic fragments (French, German, etc.) which many of us have completely lost touch with. So...my reasoning for using "Black" is because I associate it with a culture (and thus food) more than I associate "African American" with a culture. Sorry for the tangent...

On to the food: We got hush puppies, cole slaw, fried okra and mashed potatoes.

The mashed potatoes were the low point of the meal. They just didn't offer anything beyond what you might find at any diner (like Chicken Pie Shop, another story for another time). The okra was a bit small and dry but not bad. Battered and deep fried...just a bit skimpy. I'm betting that the okra was frozen...but then again it's not easy to find great okra in San Diego, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh. The cole slaw was top-notch. The ratio of mayo to vinegar was right on with a nice zing to it. Many places mess up cole slaw by leaving in big chunks of cabbage and making it way too mayo heavy. My only complaint is that the slaw was a bit too liquidy. You could drain off the extra "sauce" and be just fine. The hush puppies were the highlight for me. I really should have ordered a large side of them. They were extremely crispy on the outside. Think donut hole made of corn meal, and you pretty much have a hush puppy. I've had a bunch of types of hush puppies over the years and some are super sweet and others are very mealy and have a strong cornmeal taste which can be a bit bitter. These had a slightly bitter aftertaste, but weren't too sweet. They were a bit on the small side (hush puppies in Richmond are about golf ball size and these were more quarter-sized).

I have a lead on a couple other places for hush puppies so I'll provide more info as I hunt them down.

We spent $7 and it was enough to fill us up. The food is greasy (duh) so just expect it. This is an indulgence we won't often partake in, but now and then a little grease is a good thing...even for vegetarians.

Greek Town Buffet - my first bad review

2007-11-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

Greek Town Restaurant Buffet
345 W. Main St.
El Cajon, CA 92020
(619) 441-9707

So generally, I've been trying to focus on positive reviews. The places that I've eaten at that weren't great simply haven't gotten my attention so I haven't mentioned them. Tonight that ends. Tonight, the wife and I decided to check out this "Crispy Fried Chicken" place. Alas, they were closed with a note on the door saying that they were closed for the weekend due to "a wedding in the family." That alone gives me much hope for this place. Though I was disappointed that we'd have to wait to check it out, I was impressed that they would shut down the shop for a wedding "in the family" rather than turn it over to others to run that weekend (and risk messing up the food). I did get a look in the place at the menu and I have good news for vegetarians. They offer hush puppies, corn bread, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, cole slaw, okra (I assume fried and probably breaded), and french fries. Plenty of options for the later day when we can check this place out. I'm definitely excited now.

Okay, on to the dinner this evening. Since we couldn't check out Crispy Fried Chicken tonight, I decided it was time to visit the other restaurant on my hit list. It's a greek buffet out in El Cajon that the wife and I stumbled upon while picking up a table and chairs we found on craigslist. To date, whenever we've craved Greek food, we've made a run to Zorba's of Chula Vista. Though I'm very satisfied with Zorba's, they have raised the rates on their buffet over the years and I was hoping to find a new, undiscovered diamond in the rough. I write this review because I want to tell people out there with the same idea of "hunting around" for a Greek buffet not to waste their money on this one. That's pretty strong language for me, since I believe in a lot of margin for experimentation and personal interpretations of dishes...but with the greatest stretches of the imagination, the quality of the food here is inexcusable.

I'll start with the high notes (don't worry, this won't take long). The tzaziki sauce was some of the best I've ever had. Big chunks of cucumber, plenty of dill, tangy and cool yogurt taste. Everything a tzaziki sauce should be and possibly even better than Zorba's. The pita bread was also quite good and possibly made onsite. The hummus was also passable.

Now for the bad. The overall theme here is that they tried to spice up these dishes but used all the wrong spices. It's as if someone gave them the recipes and left out what spices should go where so they just guessed (and guessed very wrong). The Baba Ganouj was extremely smoky (which it shouldn't be), to the point you couldn't taste any eggplant flavor. The spanakopita was seasoned with what tasted like taco seasoning...possibly cumin, hard to put my finger on, but decidedly NOT what spanikopita should taste like. I had four pieces of spanikopita just to try to figure out what it was, but couldn't quite get it. There was way too much phyllo dough and not enough filling (and the phyllo was chewy and tough not light and flaky on some of the pieces). The potatoes had no real flavor (they soaken in a weak tomato, vegetayeble broth) and some pieces were too undercooked and some too overcooked. The Greek salad was okay (it was quite fresh) but just okay. The feta cheese was bland (probably store bought). The green beans tasted as if they came straight from a can. The rice pilaf was cafeteria quality.

I had hopes that the dessert bar would have some saving grace for the buffet. It didn't. The two types of baklava and rice pudding were all that were Greek on it. It had two types of Jell-O (never a good sign), chocolate pudding and some cut fruit (probably from a can). The rice pudding had way too much vanilla. The consistency was good (sometimes it can be pasty) but it should have had a lot less vanilla and a lot more cinnamon. The first baklava was okay, but again had too much phyllo and not enough filling. It was also rather dry. The second baklava could classified as a personal interpretation of baklava. I say this because it had coconut in it...a lot of coconut. It was basically a macaroon inside phyllo. This isn't necessarily bad if you're expecting something new (and at this point, I suppose I should have expected something new) but I wasn't.

As if I needed further evidence that this place was worthless, everyone in the place looked rather ...white...and native El Cajon. I'm sorry if you live in El Cajon, as I do have some friends out there, but you have to admit, the lot of the people out there are...a little trashy. There's great Mexican food out there and I think El Cajon has a lot of potential (especially in their downtown area that they're focusing on) but they have some work to do on their Greek food if this is the best they have.

The buffet was $12/person ($9/person for lunch) and there's a coupon online on the El Cajon website for a free buffet with the purchase of a buffet and two drinks...and normally I would link you to that but I don't want to encourage anyone eating there! For that price, you could (and should...no...MUST) eat at Zorba's instead. Of course there are many other great Greek restaurants around San Diego, but if you want a buffet, I haven't found a better quality for the price of Zorba's (now at $13/person for dinner). It's a long drive to Chula Vista from El Cajon, but I can't see wasting good money on bad food.

Of course, I didn't have any meat (being that the wife and I are vegetarian) so the chicken souvlaki could be amazing...but I doubt it.

If you have a favorite El Cajon restaurant (preferably non-Mexican, I already know El Cajon had great Mexican food) you'd like to share with me, to redeem my hope for El Cajon cuisine, please submit a comment about it. I don't want to write off the city as a Mexican-food-only town, but I haven't found any diversity worth eating yet. I'm sure it's just hiding from me, and I need your help in uncovering it.

PS. Yelp mentions that this place has belly dancers on Friday and Saturday nights at 7pm but I definitely didn't see any. They may have suspended this or just had an off weekend. Zorba's charges extra for their belly dancing show but it's also a rather big production. For more reasons on why you should eat at Zorba's rather than this place, see my Zorba's post.

Beef Stroganoff

2007-10-31T16:49:00.001-07:00

This is the first recipe in what will hopefully become a regular series for me. Growing up, my mother frequently made beef stroganoff. It's easy, quick and delicious. Stroganoff is not a particularly attractive dish as the sauce is a bit like a thick gravy and some people may not like the taste and texture of egg noodles. But for me, it's comfort food, pure and simple, and I see no reason why vegetarians should refrain from comfort food now and then, especially as the weather starts to get a bit colder (well...cold for San Diego anyway).

Beef Stroganoff hails from Russia and was brought to America around the 1950s by way of Russian and Chinese immigrants (and to a lesser extent, US servicemen who were stationed in pre-Communist China). It has been modified quite a bit from it's original incarnation, but the basics facets still ring true: It's buttery, smooth, rich and warm. It's also a bit heavy, so those with health concerns might have trouble "lightening it up" but you can use light sour cream instead of the full fat stuff. All my recipe recommendations will be veggie friendly, and many of them will be meat dishes that I'll have you substitute some mock meat for the real meat.

For this dish, you'll want to look for Steak Strips from Morning Star Farms. Most of the major grocery stores out there carry them. Here in SoCal, you can find it most Vons and Albertsons. Ralphs are very hit and miss. Morning Star Farms is pretty aggressive about giving coupons upon check out, so if you buy one package now, you'll get a coupon for a discount on another one later.

Okay, here's the recipe:
http://www.recipezaar.com/73922

You'll follow the ingredients and preparation nearly verbatim. I usually prefer fresh mushrooms to canned (duh) and subbed in light sour cream to reduce the calories/fat. The wife is on Weight Watchers, so I love the nutritional info on recipezaar. I built a quick grease monkey script that displays the WW points for each dish (pre-substitution of course). If you'd like to use it, you'll need to use firefox. Download the grease monkey addon if you don't have it yet (and restart firefox). Then download my little weight watchers script (click the "install this script" button). Then go to any recipe page on recipezaar and you'll see a little red text next to the number of servings telling you how many WW points the dish is.

One other substitution you can make is the egg noodles. Vons, recently, has started carrying "yolk-less" egg noodles. The taste and texture is pretty darned similar to the regular noodles and they only cost a little more (and a bag of egg noodles goes a LONG way). Some variations also call for it to be served over rice, rather than noodles.

Crispy Fried Chicken

2007-10-31T16:28:00.001-07:00

This is a preview post as I haven't actually eaten here yet, but a friend of mine just tipped me off to this place and Yelp seems to confirm his recommendation. The name of this restaurant is actually "Crispy Fried Chicken" and, as my friend described it, it's in one of the sketchiest parts of town...but hey, good food makes me brave:

Crispy Fried Chicken
4919 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 582-3938

Obviously, I don't expect them to have much in the way of vegetarian food. My primary target will be the hush puppies. Maybe they'll have some slaw or other side dish that will be veggie friendly as well. Will report on my findings soon.

Mozy Cafe

2007-10-14T18:55:00.001-07:00

Mozy Cafe
698 N Coast Highway 101
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 944-916

After hitting up Ong Rare Fruit Nursery the wife and I went up to Carlsbad to pick up a wagon (like the Radio Flyer type) she found on craigslist. We came back down the Pacific Coast Highway as we usually do when we have time to kill on the weekend and we're up in North County. Along the way, we decided we had to find a place in Leucadia to eat. We had been through Leucadia plenty of times but never had time to find a place to eat since it seems we blow through it so quickly (it feels like you're holding up traffic if you try to take your time down the PCH). This time we really lucked out in our searching. On the corner of Daphne St. and the 101, we found a tiny, tiny place called Mozy Cafe touting a "healthy, vegetarian food" sign. Generally, that's a pretty good sign so long as the prices aren't too much.

Walking in the front door, there was reggae playing on this Sunday morning (big surprise) and the day's special written on a plate. In a corner there was a salsa bar with some amazing looking homemade salsa. I ordered the special (a burrito with tempeh, black beans, rice and plantains). The wife ordered the falafel burger with fries. Though there was a bit of miscommunication between the cashier and the cook (apparently there's a regular breakfast special and the cook made that for me instead of the special written on the plate). The menu is burrito-centric and definitely has a lot of influence from Cuban and Middle Eastern cuisine.

The falafel burger was nothing short of amazing. The wife and I are very particular about our falafel. Most falafel is dry, gritty and a bit beanier than it should be (in my opinion). This falafel was moist, a bit crumbly (which is standard) and not beany. The burger had hummus, lettuce, avacado and tomato on it. The falafel also had something in it that made it green (and smoother). The wife and I suspect avacado. The tempeh burrito was also very good. There were a ton of flavors going on between the black beans (which were cooked very well), the sweet plantains, the lemon and garlic on the tempeh marinade and the avacado. It didn't need any salsa...but I can't help myself when there's a salsa bar nearby. Their pica de gallo was delicious: a smoother, finer paste than the usually coarse salsa found in many Mexican restaurants. There's also a bright orange salsa...I think this one's a red pepper paste. Not a lot of flavor but a good spice factor. They also have Bragg aminos on the table as a condiment. For those not familiar with Bragg, it's like soy sauce but it contains the essential amino acids that are sometimes tricky for vegetarians (and especially vegans) to obtain through their normal diet.

The service (apart from the miscommunication) was very good and the staff seemed friendly (though several people on yelp seem to have had different staff or caught the staff on a grumpier day than I). The food was outstanding and it definitely warrants a second and third visit as there are so many vegetarian options on the menu. Other options included a mock chicken burrito and a vegetable tamale burrito. For those craving meat, we did see a tuna salad come out that was HUGE and looked very good and very fresh. As always, we can't really comment on the meat options but they definitely exist. If our food was any indication of quality and creativity, I should think the meat options are equally satisfying.

Ong Rare Fruit Nursery

2007-10-14T18:21:00.001-07:00

2528 Crandall Drive
San Diego, CA 92111
858-277-8167

This post will be the first of many that are a departure from my standard restaurant review. As a foodie, I want to share all thing food related with my readers. Of course restaurants are a big part of sampling new tastes and they are the easiest way most people have to experience foreign flavors and cuisines. However, I'm going to start sharing other things with you like markets and recipes. To begin this departure, I want to share a rare treat with you: Ong nursery.

Not far from K's Sandwiches in Linda Vista is a seemingly normal house with a few extra potted plants in the driveway. You'd never suspect the density of rare fruit being grown in the backyard. I was thrilled to learn that such a nursery existed in central San Diego. I thought all nurseries were out in Fallbrook and Vista. Upon walking up the drive way to the house I saw a few older people sitting inside the garage conversing. I figured one of them must be Quang Ong (the proprietor) but they told me to check around back. To my surprise, Quang was not a retired, hermetic old man but a livid, passionate younger man atop a ladder, hurriedly picking Chinese jujubes. Before I had a chance to introduce myself and shake his hand, he was handing me half a dozen jujubes to try.

Now, the Chinese jujube is about the size of a small crab apple and the tree looks rather plain, not nearly as exotic as some of his other specimens. The fruit has a mottled reddish/brownish skin (when it's ripe) with white meat. The most remarkable thing when you first bite into it is how crisp it is. It's crispier than an apple or Asian pear. It will seem a bit dry and fibrous, with a mild flavor, but it's not chalky or mealy like some apples are. It gets sweeter as you chew it a couple times. They're extremely snackable and Quang tells me that they are not nearly as crisp in the markets (I've never seen them in Ranch 99, but I'll look for them next time I go to compare).

Quang was still busy harvesting fruit so the wife and I wandered about the rest of his garden. There's barely any room to move between the plants in some places and he has many hanging plants above other plants (the ones that don't require a ton of sunlight I assume). He also has a koi pond and a makeshift greenhouse. He says he's been growing the nursery for about 18 years and it's difficult to believe he's done so much in such a relatively small amount of time (considering some of the plants are rather mature). Quang seems pretty young, so 18 years must be a very sizable chunk of his life.

After perusing the grounds a bit (I recognized pommelos, persimmons and pomegranates, but there were lots more I didn't recognize), Quang found us and offered us some dragon fruit. The fruit is simply impressive. It's bright pink and has a luster almost like a rose. He sliced it in half and handed the wife one half and me the other. The meat on this one is clear (like a coconut sauce) but Quang mentioned that many cultivars have a pink meat. There's hundred of edible black seeds embedded evenly in the fruit. The fruit was a little larger than a softball so half of this was very filling. When you bite into the fruit there's very little texture. It's practically made of juice, yet still pretty easy to eat. The meat pulls pretty neatly from the skin. It also seems to have a mild flavor but becomes noticeably sweeter if you hold it in your mouth.

We couldn't stay long, but I definitely plan to return to the nursery to purchase a plant or two for the new house we'll be moving into this week. I'll have a front yard with with good Southern exposure (and with no grass) so I plan to have a few gardening areas (container and raised bed) so I'll have the luxury of experimenting with more plants, beyond my tomato and herbs. Living in San Diego, we all have the luxury of tending to these exotic plants that we wouldn't dare raise outside of a greenhouse in any other part of the US. Many of these species are indigenous to rain forests and other subtropical areas that are constantly being pillaged in the name of development. So tending to exotics is one part love of their fruit and one part conservation.

If you'd like to taste some truly unique fruits, definitely stop by the Ong Nursery. They're generally open from 8am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday but it's a good idea to call (858-277-8167) or email (quang12@aol.com) beforehand. I think they're also available during the week after 5pm but perhaps only by appointment. San Diego is also fortunate enough to have a Rare Fruit Grower's Society (http://crfgsandiego.org/index.html). They meet in Balboa park once a month and often have fruit available for tasting. I believe there's a small membership fee to attend the meeting but if you pay once, you're good for the rest of the year. I haven't attended one of their meetings yet but it's high on my to-do list.

Why I don't post pics of food on my blog

2007-10-08T14:38:00.001-07:00

So originally, when I first started this blog, I had every intention of producing a quality San Diego food blog, modeled off the fine mmm-yoso blog. They have a very prolific blog with a ton of pictures and generally do a great job with their reviews. I feel like I have two big things keeping me from being that kind of blog: infrequent posts and no pictures. Until recently, I considered them two things I needed to strive to get better at. I think we can all agree that there's no excuse for my slacking off on the posts. I need to be posting more often. With your encouragement (thanks to all who have left comments for me) and a little Firefox plugin called ScribeFire, I pledge to become a more frequent contributor to the San Diego food scene.

However, the wife and I had a discussion recently that changed my perspective on the photos issue. I've actually taken a number of pictures of food, but for whatever reason, they haven't made it onto any of my posts. I think one of the biggest problems for me was I couldn't figure out how to work them into the post in a natural way (especially those that I had taken after I wrote and posted the text). It's sort of like "oh and btw, here's a bunch of pics that have no tie-in to the text at all! My wife's comment was that she actually preferred to read a post without so many pictures because, she said, if there were pictures of the food, she wouldn't be paying attention to the text. Pictures have a funny way of turning us into lazy readers. I hadn't even considered that, but I tend to agree. When I'm on mmm-yoso I generally look at the pictures and then MAYBE read a bit of text if the pictures look good. The is especially tricky for eaters who are new to cuisines like Thai, Indian, Ethiopian, etc. where many of the dishes consist of stews or otherwise "goopy" looking dishes. That can be a big turn off for people. I can get someone's mouth watering more easily explaining the flavors rather than showing them pictures of the dish.

I think if I ever switch my position, I'll post very small pictures (compared to page real estate for text) that pop up larger versions. But for the time being, and especially since I want to get better about making more regular posts, I'll continue to avoid pictures of the food altogether.

Do you have any feedback for me? I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the pictures thing as well as any other pointers or generally wishes you have for my blog. In case you haven't gathered this yet, I try to focus on vegetarian dishes and places that have good, cheap food. Cheap is very important to me because I think good food should be accessible to everyone and I think we should be able to eat out regularly. I also try to tailor my posts on ethnic food to the newbie, easing them into trying it for the first time (or giving it a second chance if they've had a bad experience in the past).

That pretty much sums up my approach I think. Do I spend too much time on one thing and not enough on another? I'd love to hear your thoughts. By the way, I'm going to start posting about recipes as well. I'm deep in a love affair with Recipezaar and I'll be sharing some of my favorite dishes, many of which have meat in them, but I'll be giving you a guide on how to use mock meats or other substitutes with them.

Sicilian Thing Pizzeria

2007-10-05T15:11:00.001-07:00

So all you fellow foodies out there probably know about the standard great pizzerias in San Diego. They all are in or around dowtown:

Bronx Pizzeria (Hillcrest/Mission Hills)
Pros: great, huge NY pies for as little as $13.50
Cons: gets very crowded, parking is tricky and you get a bit of authentic Bronx attitude to go with your pizza, limited options (they can be cheap because they do volume and keep it simple)

Pizzeria Luigi (Golden Hill)
I'm told this is a spin-off of one of the Bronx staff.
Pros: much easier parking, larger area, more seating, great pizza, still pretty affordable
Cons: a bit loud if you want to dine-in and still a bit crowded

Lefty's (North Park)
Chicago style pizza
Pros: pretty good pie (but I prefer Regents for chicago style, although it's all the way up in UTC area), more sports-centric
Cons: very very small shop, parking can be a little tricky, pizza is a bit overrated

There's also a couple decnt chains like BJs and Oggis (but they're a bit pricey and we foodies prefer non-chains if we can help it).

Enter Sicilian Thing. I'm told that this is yet another Bronx spin-off (they don't mention it on the website, so maybe I got that wrong...but it's not the sort of thing you'd publish). Nothing special right? Well if they only offered NY style, I'd say that there was no more room in North Park for yet another NY pizzeria. Even if the food was great, they'd be hard pressed to compete with all the other shops. Lucky for them, they have a great differentiator: Sicilian style deep dish pizza. If you've had deep dish before and been turned off by its cakey, doughy crust, I have to tell you to give it another try. Sicilian Thing does a fantastic job of offering up real deep dish pizza that's not cakey or doughy, but crunchy, light, buttery and delicious. They offer a great selection of toppings, but I have to advocate keeping it simple. The crust is the star of this play, so just get a plain cheese pizza or maybe some black olives or tomato slices. Further, the owner, Paul, is the nicest guy you've ever met. Bronx Pizza has earned a reputation for being loud and abrupt with its customers and some people love that, but there's some of us that still appreciate friendly customer service, even if it doesn't provide the Bronx cliche of NY "attitude."

Prices for a whole pizza start at $14 for either the thick-crusted, square Sicilian style or the NY round, thin style. These pizzas are massive. The thick crust can fill a hungry person up with two pieces. There's 9 squares in the Sicilian style, so you do the math. My wife and I ate it for a week and it reheats REALLY well in the toaster oven. They also offer up cannolies and some other items you wouldn't normally expect at a pizza joint. I'd be very interested to know what portion of their pizza sold is Sicilian vs. NY style. I'd like to think that there's a market for a place that only sells Sicilian.

I seriously fear that once the word gets out about this place, it will suffer from the crowds that many other great pizzeria's suffer from. Their place is small, so there's a definite risk of overcrowding. The moral here is that you should get in there and order pizza soon...and don't tell your friends about it ;^)

Sicilian Thing Pizza
4046 30th St.
San Diego, CA
619-282-3000

Punjabi Tandoor

2007-09-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Punjabi Tandoor
9235 Activity Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 695-0956
punjabitandoor.com

I found out about this place from another foody's blog (http://www.sandiegofoodblog.com/indian/punjabitandoor.html). After reading this stellar review from a rather harsh food critic I had to check it out. The food is pretty much just as he described: cheap, tasty and spicy. The food is a bit spicier than average but still tame enough for the missus to eat. The saag paneer is fantastic and you get a lot of it for about $4. The rice is amazing (very buttery) and the naan is about perfect (a little chewier than most, but in a good way).

The only real criticism I've heard about this place is that it's a little on the greasy side...but to me, that's how Indian food is supposed to be. For those not in the know, nearly all indian food is cooked with ghee (a type of clarified butter). Ghee is almost pure saturated fat which is likely to affect cholesterol levels when eaten regularly. Here's the wikipedia entry on ghee: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee

Inconsistency is underrated

2007-09-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

There's a concept that many chefs strive for: consistency. I'm posting tonight to say that consistency is overrated. One of the things I like about my favorite restaurants is the fact they have very little consistency. Consistency is boring. Even if the chef is consistently amazing in his product, he does himself a disservice to think that we, the foodies, like the same delivery every time.

One of my favorite restaurants is Zorba's. They're a Greek joint down in Chula Vista (of all places). They offer a buffet every day and sometimes the spanakopita is served as a giant sheet/pie that is sliced up, or individual pieces. Sometimes the spices are a little sweeter or a little more savory. I can see how not knowing what you're going to get when you go there for a meal would drive some people crazy, but it gives the wife and I something to talk about. We analyze each of the dishes and try to figure out what is different. Now sometimes, a dish is just dry (it is a buffet after all), but that's a risk I'm willing to take. It may be a matter of who is in the kitchen that night or the inspiration of the cooks that affects the variations of the dishes.

If nothing else, I think we can appreciate inconsistency for the sheer fact that to be inconsistent is to be human. I don't want the chef to mask the fact that he's in a different mood today. I expect variations in the food because he's human. He has to be affected by the things that happen in his day. Maybe he's even tweaking the dish, experimenting with a different approach. That novelty is far more precious to me than any lofty goal of consistency.

Food is art not science. Good art cannot be reproduced.

Bangkok Spices Thai

2007-09-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Bangkok Spices Thai Restaurant
2832 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 281-1111

I'm lucky to live in North Park as there's a zillion restaurants within walking distance. One of the newer places down the block from me is Bangkok Spices Thai. The building it's in used to be Ramona's (a Mexican food joint) and somewhere in its past, I'm pretty sure it was a Pizza Hut (back when Pizza Hut was in a hut-like building).

The food is good though not my favorite. They have the standard Thai fair we come to expect from a Thai restaurant. The bulk of the menu is dedicated to curries and other dishes that vary in price by what you want in them. For vegetarians, they offer the option of veggies, tofu, mock duck or mock chicken. For everyone else, they offer beef, duck, chicken and seafood. Prices range from $7-8 for veggies or mock meat to $10-12 for beef or seafood.

They have a few more appetizers than the average place (appetizers are a bit pricey so I generally stay away from them). If I'm going to splurge I usually spend the money on dessert. Dessert is generally fresh mango and sticky rice. The two go perfectly together and it can easily be split between 2 or 3 people. It's very sweet so a little goes a long way.

My favorite dishes (ones that are very representative of the tastes of Thai cuisine) are Panang Curry and Pra Ram. Panang curry is one of the sweeter curries. It consists of red bell peppers and carrots in a coconut base. I prefer this dish with mock duck but it'd be great with tofu as well. They'll ask you how spicy on a scale from 1 to 10 you'd like your dish. This affects how much chili powder they'll add and in some cases (like this place) it'll affect how many slices of chili peppers they'll add. This place skews a little spicier than most so I usually stick with a 4 or 5. Be careful while eating as the chili peppers look benign (almost like bell peppers). They're known to be some of the hottest peppers on Earth (right up there with hanbaneros). Some people that can stand the spiciest Mexican food still have trouble with Thai spiciness. The peppers are just a bit different and the oils burn the tongue in different ways. I don't know the science behind it, but if you're up for it, try both peppers and you'll notice the difference. Alternatively, you can read a bit about Thai chili peppers here: http://www.happynews.com/living/cooking/thai-chili-pepper.htm

Pra ram is a unique dish as it offers a sauce unlike anything else. It's a peanut based sauce and it's a little different wherever you go (which is one of the reasons I get it at a new place I'm trying for the first time). If it's bad, it'll taste like peanut butter. The consistency should be medium...not too thick or too thin. It sometimes has small bits of peanut in it, but otherwise is quite smooth. It's sometimes poured on a bed of broccoli and other times spinach. I prefer spinach. It works well with cubes of tofu.

There's a couple other Thai restaurants that I'd like to mention:

California Thai Cafe
9550 Black Mountain Rd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 566-5021
http://californiathaicafe.com/

I love this place because it's usually very slow and it's small so the service is very good. The food is really good though the ambiance is non-existent, but I don't really care about that. This place is adjacent to the Little India area, so if you're stuffed after eating, it's fun to stroll through the KER market next door and look at all the yummy spices you've never heard of.

Sawaddy Thai Restaurant
8935 Towne Centre Dr Ste 115, San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 535-1668

This place has a lot of bad reviews on Yahoo, but I've only once had an issue with it. I asked for mock duck and they ended up serving me REAL duck. We vegetarians always fear that, but I'm willing to forgive. They haven't had that issue since. Nevertheless, there's a TON of Thai places in San Diego, so you have plenty of choices.

Unlisted Thai Place
on Clairemont Blvd. near the 15

Sorry, this place is too new apparently. I can't find it in the listings on Yahoo. There's a ton of new development right across the street from Sunny Donuts on the east end of Clairmont Mesa Blvd. They have the usual suspects there (Rubios, Starbucks, etc.) but what you won't expect is a little Thai place among them. They have great ambiance, very good service and it still won't break the bank. You pay a little premium for decor, but it's not bad. I'm sure this place does great business at lunch with all the businesses around, but it must be difficult to bring in a night crowd...you just don't think of that area for dinner. Plus, they have a wine bar and tv showing whatever sports game is going on...so I think they're a bit conflicted on what their target demo is...given where they're located. It's like they think they're in the Gaslamp district or something.

i suck at blogging

2007-09-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

I recently got a comment asking "is this blog dead?" I suppose that means I'm overdue for another post...that and the fact that it's been a few months since I posted anything. Sorry dear readers, I've just been busy and haven't made time for you. That ends now...and begins in again tomorrow probably.

in search of bread

2007-04-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hey San Diegans.

I'm on a quest. I've eaten a bunch of delicious food from exotic ethnicities here. Despite my being a strict vegetarian, I feel like I've gotten a lot out of the cuisine of San Diego. However, meat-eaters and carnivores both have a deep and profound love for one of food's most basic elements: bread.

I've eaten some yummy sandwiches (Capriotti's) here in San Diego and I've had some great donuts and bagels (Sunny Donuts and Big City Bagels) but I have yet to find a really great, affordable, non-chain bakery that produces loaves of bread. There's a couple decent chains: Panera and St. Tropez, and okay, St. Tropez is barely a chain since there's only 4 locations and they're all in San Diego...but I find them to be a bit too frou-frou, personally.

Even the big stores (Henry's, Whole Foods, Vons, etc.) have some decent breads, but they're just not what I'm looking for.

What I really want is a place buried somewhere that is family owned (ideally) that makes great, simple bread. Doesn't have to be "artisan" per se, but should be substantial and have a good value. They need to have a bread that's great for a sub sandwich (as I have my frozen mock smoked turkey now and I need something to put it on that will do it justice) and they need to have a decent focaccia or similar bread that I can toast with some cheese on it.

So let me know what bakeries you've tried and what your experience has been. Here's a list of ones that I'll be looking into (some of them seem to be catering or supply for larger markets only):

Arely's French Bakery
City Bakery
Rita's Bakery (possibly mexican bakery)
New York Bakery (seems like a supplier)
Paris Bakery
Timby's Bakery
Deniss Bakery
Camau Bakery Deli
National Bakery
Bread & Cie (a little too well known already and too busy for me)
Cafe in the Park
A La Francaise
Baked by Etta
Bread on Market
Sadie Rose Baking Company
Solunto Baking Company (supplier, I think)
Bakery & Cafe - Big Joy Family, Incorporated

There's a place up in Del Mar next to a Jimbo's (name escapes me at the moment) that is great but a pit pricey and too far up the 5. I'd like to find something more central to San Diego.

So far, just by looking at websites, I think the Big Joy Family has a very good chance of being what I'm looking for. It's up in Kearny Mesa (Convoy) which is nice and off the beaten path of where one would expect to find a fantastic little bakery.

I'll be reporting back in a couple weeks with the results of my survey of local bakeries to let you know what I find. Send me your suggestions!

NY Pizza and Subs

2007-02-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

New York Pizza
2358 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104

I love Eggplant Parmesan. On a plate or in a sub, it's my favorite Italian dish. I love eggplant and it's not easy to make it just right. Every place does Eggplant Parmesan very differently. Some places leave the skin on and just grill the eggplant. Other places trim the skin and batter and fry the eggplant. Every style is good if done well (unless you don't like the skin, but if it's done right you won't even notice the skin as it will be tender and easy to eat/digest).

New York Pizza has the most generic name I've seen in San Diego, but their food is above average. They have a good Eggplant Parm sub and that's what I originally came in for. The sauce is a bit weak on the sub, but it's still pretty good. They have extremely large pizzas (which I haven't tried yet but they look pretty good) and you'll wonder how they get them out the door or into the delivery car.

But their true shining star is the spinach roll. It's under $5 and it's easily two solid meals worth of food. It's about 2 lbs of fresh spinach, ricotta and mozzarella rolled up in a ...well pizza pocket for lack of a better term. It's kinda like a calzone, but more like a pizza burrito with no opening (it'll usually have a couple small cracks in it so you have to be careful as you're eating it, just like a burrito, or it'll explode eventually).

I made the mistake of trying to eat this thing in one sitting. Don't do it unless you're a pro. It looks like you can do it, but you'll be hurting by the last 1/4 of it. It's just plain massive...and only $5!

Other great pizza places: Bronx Pizza, Regents Pizzeria

Other great eggplant parm subs: Florencia Pizza

Rant: No expensive vegetarian food

2007-02-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm normally one that gets excited to find cheap, good food. However, there are occasions when I find myself at a more upper class restaurant and I'm thoroughly disappointed by the vegetarian selection (and generally there is but ONE vegetarian selection).

I realize that we are a port city and that high-class cuisine is often synonymous with seafood, but this is also San Diego and there are more than a few vegetarians here. We vegetarians should not feel out of place and bored with the cuisine when we dine at high-class eating establishments.

I'm going to name names: C Level @ Island Prime (and nearly every other Cohn Restaurant Group restaurant) and Osetra: The Fish House have been my two most recent disappointments. Granted, these two places specifically have "meaty" names, but there should be no reason that their top-notch chefs can't get creative with a couple vegetarian selections.

Instead of any original dish, the vegetarian option at any high-class restaurant is almost invariably either pasta or risotto. Don't get me wrong, I adore pasta and risotto...but I can make both...and do on a regular basis...mostly because they're extremely cheap. So I don't tend to get too excited when they're offered as the only vegetarian option.

It's a slap in the face as if to say "we considered a vegetarian option and we decided you weren't worth any real effort or imagination so we'll make you some noodles." I blame the owners, the managers and the chefs for this nearsightedness and I expect more out of San Diego. Come on, fancy-schmancey restaurants. When I've got the money to lay down for a high-priced meal, you're going to have to earn my money.

Sipz! A vegetarian/vegan haven

2007-01-30T00:49:00.000-08:00

Sipz Cafe
(858) 279-3747
5501 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA

A friend of mine showed me Sipz years ago, and they're absolutely amazing. They have a second location in Poway that they opened a couple years back, and I hear from a friend that they're going to be opening another location in North Park (which is much better suited for the cuisine).

Sipz bills itself as a fusion asian cuisine cafe. They don't make a big deal about being nearly all vegan and they aren't pretentious like a lot of vegan/veggie/raw food places are. In fact, unless you look carefully, you won't even realize that they only serve mock meat.

Their main dishes are bowls and include things like Pho (a classic Vietnamese beef noodle soup), Walnut Shrimp (tempura style fried shrimp and walnuts, my personal favorite) and Orange Chicken. They recently doubled the size of their shop and put in a vegan sushi bar. I haven't tried the sushi there yet, but everyone in the place seemed to be enjoying it.

So why the name Sipz? They also offer an extensive list of drinks, including boba teas (the popular milk-tea drinks with marble-sized tapioca balls in them), hot tea, cold tea, wines, beers, etc. If you can, save room for dessert. They have a vegan Banana Cake with coconut sauce that's fantastic.

Most of the bowls are about $7 at dinnertime. The desserts are about $4.

A greasy spoon

2007-01-30T00:24:00.000-08:00

We all have our favorite spot for deep fried breakfast. For a vegetarian, most greasy spoons are about pancakes and has browns. Sometimes you'll run into an occasional omelet worth tasting. For my wife and I, we haven't found the perfect place yet but we like (not love) a couple places we've tried:

The Lumberjack Grille
3949 Ohio St
San Diego, CA 92104

Perry's Cafe
(619) 291-7121
4620 Pacific Hwy
San Diego, CA 92110

Now The Lumberjack Grille used to be the Old Mill Cafe, and as a result, you won't find it under Yahoo Maps as The Lumberjack Grille. Their menu has a large selection of dishes with a few surprises. Look for the Crunchy French Toast which is french toast, battered with raisin bran and fried. I know it sounds odd, but it's pretty tasty if you're open minded.

They have a handful of Mexican dishes, their prices are fair (though some things are more pricey than you'd expect, like sandwiches) and the service is okay. There's some peculiarities to the place such as they serve a pasta-sauce style sauce for dipping their fried cheese sticks in. My wife asked if they had marinara and they didn't. Just don't expect them to have everything to cater to your tastes.

The clientèle is largely gay men for some reason. I don't know the history of the place to venture why that is.

Perry's Cafe is a different story altogether. They're bigger, busier, louder and cheaper. They're right on the PCH so they pick up a bunch of traffic. You'll often have to wait if you're going there for breakfast, but the wait isn't as bad as it seems. The turnover is quick. Their prices tend to be a bit cheaper than The Lumberjack and the service is a bit better. This place is a gem for people who like classic roadside cafes. It doesn't get much more authentic than Perry's Cafe.

The food is what it is: cheap, straight-shooting and edible. Lot of buzz, activity and at times it's a bit too noisy. If you like that sort of energy, you're definitely in the right place. If you want something a bit smaller, more laid back, then The Lumberjack might be more your style.

I've been meaning to have breakfast at Brian's American Eatery but every time I've made the attempt, they haven't had any parking spaces open (and getting a spot on the street in that area is tricky). Hopefully I'll be able to review them soon.

Indian buffet

2007-01-23T00:50:00.000-08:00

Taste of India
858-566-0806
http://www.tasteofindiasd.com/
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, California

In the theme of buffets, I had to include an Indian buffet. Indian is my personal favorite cuisine of all time for two reasons: it has so many vegetarian options and it has so many different variations that a dish is completely different each place you have it.

The second part might be considered inconsistency to some people and it might be the source of frustration. However, the reason for all the variation is due to the thousands of cultures that comprise India. There are 23 different languages recognized by the Indian Constitution, for example. This even makes many of the dishes appear under different names and different spellings. For instance, some restaurants will refer to a creamed spinach dish as Palak Paneer while others will call it Saag Paneer. Some places with deep fry the paneer cheese (a soft, homemade, tofu-like cheese), others won't, and some will offer Saag without cheese at all! And that's just a single dish!

Obviously all this variance means that people are going to have many preconceptions of what Indian food should be. If I were to define what I think it should be, it would be best exemplified by the Taste of India on Miramar Rd. There are a bunch of places that call themselves "Taste of India" and I have no idea if there's a common owner of them to explain the name, but the food is very different from one to another, so even if they are under common ownership, do not go to one thinking you'll find the same dishes as at another location.

Nearly all Indian restaurants offer some form of buffet. The lunch buffet is the most popular. The lunch buffet at the Taste of India is only $9 and it's a great option if you need a quick lunch (and you're really hungry). The dinner buffet is $13 but they do bring out some more expensive dishes.

For dinner, they always offer a Saag Paneer, Chicken Tandoor, Dal (lentils), Alu (potato) and chickpea dish. They're all very good and have very different flavors. Their basmati rice is very good (unusual for a buffet where it usually gets dried out and isn't evenly cooked). They also have pakoras (deep fried veggie fritters) and samosas (super-buttery, curried potatos and peas in a deep fried shell).

But here's their big winning factor: they don't make the mistake, that so many Indian buffets make, of leaving the Naan (a buttery, fluffy flat bread) out on the buffet where it gets tough and dry. They bring it to your table and when you finish it, they bring you another. It's super fresh, hot and delicious. For dessert they have the standard Kheer (a sort of thin rice pudding) and Gulab Jamun (deep fried cheese balls...they're awesome). The Gulab Jamun in particular is better here than any other place I've had it. Most places I've had it, it comes out cakey rather than spongy and tender. It sounds weird but you have to try it.

Another place to try (especially if you're vegetarian) is the Madras Cafe. It's all vegetarian and it's Southern Indian cuisine (which is radically different than all other Indian food). There's still some curries and lots of potatos, but they have a bunch of different breads including one that is paper thin that's about 1.5 feet in diameter.

In case you haven't picked up on this yet, I'm in love with Indian food and I get excited just by writing about it. There's a completely new twist on it at every place you eat, so if you've had Indian before and it was either too spicy, not spicy enough, or just didn't suit you, try it again, at least twice more, at different places. You're sure to find one variety of it that you like.

Ethiopian buffet

2007-01-23T00:38:00.000-08:00

Harar Ethiopian Restaurant
(619) 295-3735
http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/california/harar.html
2432 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

I know, I know...Ethiopian buffet? But aren't people in Ethiopia starving? For some reason, Ethiopian restaurants in San Diego seem to commonly have buffets at least once a week. If you've never had Ethiopian food before, the only thing I can liken it to is Southern comfort food. Most of it slow cooked and buttery. My favorite dishes at this particular buffet are the eggplant dish and the greens dish (I can't remember if they're collards or another type of green).

The buffet runs about $12 and is available Friday evenings (I think between 6pm and 11pm). The trouble with being a vegetarian at this buffet is that nothing is labeled and since everything is slow cooked to the point of mush (very tasty mush) it's sometimes difficult to tell if a dish is meat or not. The waitstaff is very friendly and helpful and their English is very good so don't be afraid to ask. They consistently have the same dishes every time I've gone so you only have to learn the dishes once. Generally they lay out the veggie dishes on the left and the rightmost dishes have meat in them.

The trademark of Ethiopian food is the Injera. It's a type of spongy flatbread that you use to "pinch" the stewed dishes with. You scoop or pinch a bit of stewed veggies in the injera and then eat it. This way you don't have any utensils. It's very communal feeling. Many Ethopian restaurants in town will serve large platters that combine 2 or 3 people's orders (and don't worry they usually leave enough space between the dishes that the meat doesn't touch the veggies). The idea is to share among your friends. I happen to like the format, but it's not for everyone (especially anyone who has something against eating with their hands).

Another good Ethiopian restaurant further down University Ave. is the Red Sea. Both Harar and Red Sea are pretty small, family run, very cozy and friendly places.

Greek buffet

2007-01-23T00:30:00.000-08:00

Zorba's Greek Restaurant
(619) 422-8853
100 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910

If you like Greek and you haven't been to Zorba's down in Chula Vista, you owe it to yourself to check it out. I know what you're thinking: Chula Vista? Greek? That's an odd combination. And yes it's pretty far for most people to drive, but when I want Greek food, it's the only place that I think of.

I've had some pretty good Spanikopita from some other shops around town and if I need something in my neck of the woods (North Park) I can always count on the Olympic Cafe near Texas and University. But when I want to treat the wifey and I (and a couple friends) we go down to Zorba's. Friday and Saturday nights have dancing and there's an extra charge so if you go those nights, get in and out before 8pm unless you're interested in the dancing.

The buffet is about $12/person but they have a ton of selection and everything is good (I can't speak for the meat, but my friends who eat meat tell me the Gyros are delicious). They always have Spanikopita, a bunch of salads, Mousaka and about 5 desserts. Other items rotate out fairly randomly.

The quality of some of the dishes can sometimes be inconsistent as they have different people in the kitchen, but the place is very Greek and you'll see first-generation Greeks eating there pretty frequently (always a good sign).

Russian food

2007-01-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

Russian Georgian Rstrnt
(619) 297-4007
www.russiangeorgianfood.homestead.com
2302 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

This place, also known as Pektopah Pomegranate, is one of the few authentic Russian places in San Diego. The prices are a bit on the higher side (and the waitress will try to upsell you on sppetizers) but the food is so unique that it's worth it. I recommend the vegetarian Borscht. The Georgians are known as the best cooks of Russia and Pektopah Pomegranate serves up great peasant dishes with big bold spices.

Their baker is truly skilled too. They have flaky pastries that are amazing. Their Turkish coffee is similar to Greek coffee: small cup, lots of grounds on the bottom, super strong.

They have a bunch of fancy teas as well. The place is small and festively decorated. There's writing all over the walls with various people (in various languages) singing the praises of the food. Marco (the owner) sits in the corner and reads his paper and will be very happy to strike up a conversation with you. He has a thick Russian accent and will tell you stories and teach you Russian.

The best breakfast in town for under $2

2007-01-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

Sunny Donuts
9330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123

I have a secret. My wife and I eat breakfast every Sunday at the same place...and we fill up...for about $5. We both have an egg and cheese croissant and a donut. The egg and cheese croissant is $1.89 and it's absolutely delicious. It's big and buttery and yummy. If that's all you get, you're going to get a good breakfast (okay maybe not the best for you but it's delicious and pretty filling) for under $2.

If you really want to splurge, get a donut, too. I recommend the apple fritter or the plain cake donut. There's something about a plain cake donut that's so simple, that you can really tell the skill of the maker.

Great chinese food for < $10 a plate - Tons of vegetarian options

2007-01-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

Mandarin Dynasty
1458 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

My wife and I are both vegetarian. We struggle with Asian food as many of the wait staff don't consider fish to be meat (we do). They also generally don't have a lot of vegetarian options. That's why when we want Chinese, we always head to Mandarin Dynasty.

Basically, anything on the menu, you can get as a vegetarian option. Their meat substitute is a fried dough and varies based on the dish. If you want something salt and dark, go with the Mongolian Beef. If you want something sweet and tangy, the Sweet and Sour Pork is a sure bet. Others worth trying are the Lemon Chicken, Salt and Pepper Chicken and Honey Chicken.

The wait staff is very friendly and they proudly hang a signed vintage picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar near the door (in which she raves about the place).